BOTHELL, Wash. and ATLANTA, Feb. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB:COCP), a company focused on developing novel antiviral therapeutics for human diseases, announced today that it has been selected to give an oral presentation on Saturday, February 18, 2017, 3:45 PM Shanghai time (2:45 AM ET) entitled, “Phase 1 Study to Evaluate the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Antiviral Activity of CC-31244, a Pan-Genotypic, Potent Non-Nucleoside NS5B Polymerase Inhibitor for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection” at the 26th Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) held in Shanghai, February 15-19, 2017.

The interim results from the ongoing, randomized, double-blind, Phase 1a/1b study of CC-31244, a pan-genotypic, potent NS5B non-nucleoside inhibitor (NNI) will be presented by Sam Lee, Ph.D., President and co-inventor of the drug. CC-31244 monotherapy produced up to a 3 log drop in viral load with a slow viral rebound post treatment following a 7 day treatment suggesting that CC-31244 could be an important component in an all oral, shorter HCV combination therapy.

Cocrystal Pharma's interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Gary Wilcox said, "We are pleased to be given the opportunity to present the interim data at APASL. The interim results show that CC-31244 had a substantial and durable antiviral effect with a favorable safety and tolerability profile in both healthy volunteers and HCV GT1 infected individuals.”

An archived edition of the presentation will be available on the Cocrystal website, www.cocrystalpharma.com, shortly after the event.

About CC-31244

CC-31244 is an investigational, oral, potent, pan-genotypic NNI with high barrier to drug resistance designed and developed using the Company's proprietary structure-based drug discovery technology. The molecule interacts with the NS5B RNA polymerase of all major HCV genotypes.

About Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver that according to The World Health Organization in 2013 affects over 150 million people worldwide of whom only about 1% have been cured to date. The annual number of deaths due to Hepatitis C is estimated at 350,000 globally or nearly 1,000 per day. Most patients develop chronic infections, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. The worldwide market for hepatitis C antiviral drugs was over $10 billion in 2016.

About Cocrystal Pharma

Cocrystal is a clinical stage biotechnology company seeking to discover novel antiviral therapeutics as treatments for serious and/or chronic viral diseases. Cocrystal employs unique technologies and Nobel Prize winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs. These technologies, including our nucleoside chemistry expertise and market-focused approach to drug discovery are designed to efficiently deliver small molecule therapeutics that are safe, effective and convenient to administer. The company has identified promising, preclinical stage antiviral compounds for several unmet medical needs, including hepatitis, influenza and norovirus infections. Cocrystal has previously received strategic investments from Teva Pharmaceuticals, OPKO Health, Brace Pharmaceutical, LLC, and The Frost Group. For further information about Cocrystal, please refer to www.cocrystalpharma.com.

Forward Looking Statements

To the extent that the statements concerning the interim results from the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial can be construed to imply that future results will be positive – which the Company does not comment upon – it is a forward-looking statement. This statement reflects the current beliefs and expectations of management including statements regarding development plans for treatments related to Hepatitis C. Forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our clinical development programs, performance or future results to differ significantly from what is expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. With regard to this clinical trial, it is subject to completion and evaluation, full regulatory review, and the company’s ability to raise additional capital to support operations. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company in general, see filings Cocrystal has made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.